Rescuer wonders how boy is doing after falling into freezing water

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI)-- He helped a teen after the boy fell into freezing water. James Moore wants to know if the boy is okay. The St. Louis Fire Department transferred the boy to an area hospital Wednesday. The teen was walking on the frozen waters in O`Fallon Park when the ice gave way.

"He`s very lucky," said St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson. "We have reports the water was up near his neck."

The teenager was able to pull himself out of the water and run for help.

"It`s very difficult to do," said Jenkerson. "He was very lucky he got out."

The boy was also lucky Moore answered his door.

"I`ve never seen anybody shivering the way he was shivering," said Moore. "I`ve never seen anybody like that."

Moore called 911 and gave the teen some warm clothes. Jenkerson says calling 911 is the 1st thing to do in a situation like that. He said hypothermia patients often require medical treatment in order to survive.

"Stay off the ice, it`s not safe right now," said Jenkerson. He also warned residents to keep dogs on leashes because some of them chase after geese on the ice. He says his department has also responded to calls for children pulled into the water because a child holding a leash was pulled in by a dog.